The Many Shades of White

Coming home last weekend was a different experience because I had no keys or remotes to activate to get into the property. I felt strangely unsettled because the routine of checking and double checking all the keys and remotes for the property was absent from my trip home from Cape Town.

Instead Keith was waiting to open the gate for me; it was dark already but in the street light falling into the property I could see the expression on his face. The only way I can describe that expression is of a kid going to a birthday party with the certainty that his gift is the best and he can't wait to see this confirmed on the face of the friend who will receive it.

Keith spent the week on the property and with the help of Shawn and Dirk completed the whitewashing or Lime washing of the main house as well as tending to a lot of other repairs and maintenance on the property.

It was the best gift to see the building so clearly white in the fading light of the afternoon. We stand amazed by what we achieved over the last 23 years and only we know the sacrifices that we had to make and are still making to realise this dream. We constantly try and amaze each other with what can still be done on the property and the feeling that you have achieved this has become like a drug.

Lime wash turns the house into something edible, the best marzipan log or fondant and marzipan covered Christmas cake. The pebbledash plaster reflects the different shades of white made by the million little hills and dales of the plaster. The reflecting whiteness makes it softer on the eye in the sharp African sun that can fade even a brilliant blue sky.

The hearth and kitchen gable

The new front facade

The old front facade

"Let's try and avoid death in small doses,
reminding oneself that being alive requires an effort far greater than the simple fact of breathing.

Only a burning patience will lead
to the attainment of a splendid happiness.”
― Pablo Neruda